Warren Buffet heads to ‘billionaire summer camp’ session in Sun Valley in a golf cart as he joins tech and entertainment titans at exclusive conference – where AI, streaming and the writer’s strike are set to take center stage
- Warren Buffet donned a bright red Sun Valley jacket as he was ferried to a morning meeting at the so-called ‘billionaire summer camp’ on Wednesday
- The annual event is known for hosting high profile business deals
- This year’s celebration is expected to be marred by an ongoing writers’ strike and the rise of artificial intelligence and streaming services
Warren Buffet was seen Wednesday on his way to a meeting at the so-called ‘billionaire summer camp’ in a golf cart.
Wearing one of the event’s bright red jackets, Buffet is joining a slew of other tech and media moguls for the annual Allen & Company summer conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
The annual event is known for hosting high profile business deals, or at least being the site of the conversations that started them.
Meetings happen behind closed doors, with journalists barred from attending.
But this year’s celebration is expected to be marred by an ongoing writers’ strike and the rise of artificial intelligence and streaming services.
Warren Buffet, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, made his way to a morning session of the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on Wednesday
Meta Platforms COO Sheryl Sandberg was seen with her husband walking to a morning session after the company debuted its new Twitter rival, Threads
David Kenny Allen, of the eponymously named company that sponsors the event, could be seen talking on the phone during the summit on Wednesday
Toby Cosgrove Allen, the former chair of the company, greeted celebrities as they walked in
One of the storylines on show this week comes from Disney chief Bob Iger, who has announced that he will step down from his role in December 2024.
Notably, two of those who are reportedly being considered to replace him, Disney Parks’ Josh D’Amaro and Disney Entertainment’s Dana Walden, are expected to attend this year.
Another hot button issue at the summit is also reportedly a recent federal court ruling in favor of Activision Blizzard Inc. CEO Bobby Kotick, which aided his company’s $69 billion sale to Microsoft, according to Bloomberg.
Both Kotick and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are known to regularly attend the annual billionaire’s get-together.
And with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in attendance, eyes will be peeled on discussions about the future of embattled news network CNN.
Wendi Murdoch, entrepreneur, investor and film producer, walks to a morning session
Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, right, and Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision, left, walked together to a morning session on Wednesday
Alex Gorsky, the executive chairman of Johnson and Johnson, and his wife Patricia got ready for a session in the Idaho resort
Shari Ellin Redstone, president of National Amusements, grabbed a coffee before attending sessions on Wednesday
Its ex-CEO Chris Licht was fired last month following a scathing article in The Atlantic in which he expressed his doubts about the network, which now finds itself without a leader.
Questions now remain about its future within Warner Bros. Discovery, despite the company saying it plans to add the news network’s live programming to its streaming service, Max, later in the year.
Speaking of streaming services, many media moguls in attendance at the glitzy mountain event will likely be discussing the future of the industry as some companies move their properties to rival platforms in an attempt to expand their footprint.
Prince Alexander von Fürstenberg was also in attendance at the annual event
Armstrong, founder and CEO of Flowcode, rocked a t-shirt and sneakers as he walked to a morning meeting
Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, was spotted in a white vest
Josh Kopelman, partner at First Round Capital, kept things casual with a button-down shirt
Activision Blizzard Inc. CEO Bobby Kotick has entered the event off the back of a federal ruling in his favor helping his company’s sale to Microsoft
Danny Rimer, investor and partner at Index Ventures, rode a bike during the conference
Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, and his wife Ingrid von Ahn held hands as they prepared to meet with other tech leaders
Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, and his wife Hema Sareen Mohan, are among some of the tech moguls attending the annual event
The blockbuster Senate hearings on Tuesday between lawmakers and the PGA Tour will also expectedly be on the minds of many at those in Idaho.
Allen & Co., the host of this week’s summit, was at the center of surprise negotiations that saw the PGA Tour agree to a proposed merger with LIV Golf, a new golf tour backed by the Saudi regime, earlier this year.
The conference also comes as screenwriters continue to strike, with fears rising that actors may soon join them if talks between studios and SAG-AFTRA conclude Wednesday without a contract.
Meanwhile, networks are struggling to get younger viewers to watch news programs as they move away from scripted shows.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was one of the politicians who showed up for the annual event
Disney’s embattled CEO Bob Iger was spotted touching down in Sun Valley on Tuesday
Apple boss Tim Cook gave photographers a peace sign as he touched down for the annual event on Tuesday
Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav is among the wealthiest men at the retreat
Over in the tech industry, meanwhile, leaders are expected to meet with US Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo to discuss the $52billion US Chips and Science Act, which is aimed at shoring up advanced domestic semiconductor manufacturing, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
And they are likely to discuss the ongoing negotiations to create a new Indo-Pacific trade agreement to replace the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which former President Donald Trump disbanded in 2017.
An initial version of the agreement would have effectively stymied member countries’ efforts to regulate tech companies including on topics like market dominance and privacy.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pictured addressing the media as he arrived at the Sun Valley Lodge
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff kept it casual in a cowboy hat as he arrived for the annual conference Tuesday
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi rocked a simple gray t-shirt for the annual conference
Tech executives have also been lobbying government officials in recent months to ensure that their interests are represented in the new agreement designed to curb China’s influence in Asia.
‘We have very publicly advocated for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to include strong digital trade provisions that ensure digital technologies are widely accessible, and that support privacy, security and trust in cross-border data flows,’ Google spokesman Jose Castanada admitted.
The tech giants say that the new agreement should include many of the same provisions as the one between the United States, Canada and Mexico, which they say support typical trade priorities like protecting American companies.
‘This is not about helping the largest firms or benefitting technology companies, but rather ensuring a regulatory environment among key trading partners that empowers a wide variety of businesses, as most rely on digital services and tools to compete globally,’ Jonathan McHale, the vice president of digital trade for Computer and Communications Associations, told Bloomberg.
The trade group counts Amazon.com Inc, Google and Meta Platforms Inc. as members.
Negotiations between representatives of the 14 countries that would be included in the agreement are ongoing in South Korea.
Everyone invited to the annual billionaire summer camp
DailyMail.com has compiled a list of everyone invited to the annual Allen & Co summer conference.
They include from the tech industry:
- Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta
- Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet
- Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
- Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft
- Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
- Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
- Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn
From the media industry:
- Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of News Corp
- David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery
- Shari Redstone, chairwoman of Paramount Global
- Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Company
- Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment
- Reed Hastings, chairman of Netflix
- Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix
- Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix
- Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard
- Casey Wasserman, CEO of Wasserman Media Group
- Bryan Lourd, co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency
- Brian Grazer, film and television producer
- Josh Berger, founder and chairman of Battersea Entertainment
- Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation
From the finance industry:
- Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
- Kenneth Chenault, former CEO of American Express
- Bob Mylod, founder of Annox Capital Management
- Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal, Palantir and Founders Fund
From the sports industry:
- Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner
- Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner
- Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner
- Adam Silver, NBA commissioner
- Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots
- Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres
From the news media:
- Oprah Winfrey, host of the Oprah Winfrey Show
- Andrew Ross Sorkin, columnist for the New York Times
- Gayle King, co-host of CBS Mornings
- David Begnaud, lead national correspondent for CBS Mornings.
- Van Jones, CNN contributor
- Erin Burnett, anchor of Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN
- David Ignatius, columnist for The Washington Post
- Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press
- Becky Quick, co-anchorwoman of CNBC’s Squawk Box
In politics:
- Lawrence Summers, former treasury secretary (1999 to 2001)
- Hank Paulson, former treasury secretary (2006 to 2009)
- Mario Draghi, former Italian Prime Minister
- David Petraeus, former CIA chief
- Amos Yadlin, former Israel Defense Forces military attaché to Washington, D.C. and head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate
- Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United State
- Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian-American policy analyst at the Carnegie Endowment
- Martin Indyk, former U.S. ambassador to Israel
- Wes Moore, governor of Maryland
Miscellaneous:
- Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of yogurt maker Chobani
- Danny Meyer, founder and chairman of Shake Shack
Source: Observer.com
Source: Read Full Article